The History of the Knights Templars, the Temple Church, and the TempleAddison, C. G. (Charles Greenstreet)
History
The History of the Knights Templars, the Temple Church, and the Temple
Addison, C. G. (Charles Greenstreet)
Templars -- History
Fabian gives the following quaint account of the king's answer to the
patriarch, from the Chron. Joan Bromton: "Lasteley, the kynge gaue
answere, and sayde that he myghte not leue hys lande wythoute kepynge, nor
yet leue yt to the praye and robbery of Frenchemen. But he wolde gyue
largely of hys owne to such as wolde take upon theym that vyage. Wyth
thys answere the patryarke was dyscontente, and sayde, 'We seke a man, and
not money; welnere euery crysten regyon sendyth unto us money, but no
lande sendyth to us a prince. Therefore we aske a prynce that nedeth
money, and not money that nedeth a prynce.' But the kynge layde for hym
suche excuses, that the patryarke departed from hym dyscontentyd and
comforteless, whereof the kynge beynge aduertysed, entendynge somwhat to
recomforte hym wyth pleasaunte wordes, folowed hym unto the see syde. But
the more the kynge thought to satysfye hym wyth hys fayre speche, the more
the patryarke was discontented, in so myche that at the laste he sayde
unto hym, 'Hytherto thou haste reygned gloryously, but here after thou
shalt be forsaken of him whom thou at thys tyme forsakeste. Thynke on hym
what he hath gyuen to thee, and what thou haste yelden to him agayne: howe
fyrste thou were false unto the kynge of Fraunce, and after slewe that
holy man Thomas of Caunterburye, and lastely thou forsakeste the
proteccyon of Crystes faith.' The kynge was amoued wyth these wordes, and
sayde unto the patryarke, 'Though all the men of my lande were one bodye,
and spake with one mouth, they durste not speke to me such wordys.' 'No
wonder,' sayde the patriarke, 'for they loue thyne and not the; that ys to
meane, they loue thy goodes temporall, and fere the for losse of
promocyon, but they loue not thy soule.' And when he hadde so sayde, he
offeryd hys hedde to the kynge, sayenge, 'Do by me ryghte as thou dyddest
by that blessed man Thomas of Caunterburye, for I had leur to be slayne of
the, then of the Sarasyns, for thou art worse than any Sarasyn.' But the
kynge kepte hys pacyence, and sayde, 'I may not wende oute of my lande,
for myne own sonnes wyll aryse agayne me whan I were absente.' 'No
wonder,' sayde the patryarke, 'for of the deuyll they come, and to the
deuyll they shall go,' and so departyd from the kynge in great ire."[182]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account